A NORTH EAST shire continues to seek federal government help for a $5.3 million project that aims to transform Tallangatta.
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Towong Shire Council will learn later this year if Destination Tallangatta gains support from the National Stronger Regions Fund.
The proposed works will refresh the main street and central business district, improve the lakefront and holiday park and connect the rail trail, town centre and lookout.
Destination Tallangatta missed out in the first round of funding, but since then the council has tried to strengthen its application.
Towong mayor David Wortmann said an independent economic analysis showed the project would create 51 ongoing full-time jobs and a further 100 full-time jobs during construction.
“Which in a town of 1000 people is fantastic,” he said.
“Tallangatta can then sit beside other tourist centres in our region like Bright, Beechworth and Rutherglen showcasing the North East as a great place to live and work.”
About 13 business operators plus the rotary club have signed to contribute while a public petition backing the proposal has gained several hundred signatures to date.
Tallangatta shifted to its present location in 1956 after its original site formed part of a Lake Hume expansion.
Some of the old houses were moved on flatbed trucks to the new greenfield area nine kilometres away, but the shopping precinct and many public facilities were built anew.
Nestled in a valley with wide streets and a large park, Tallangatta is a model 1950s town but Cr Wortmann said parts of its architecture needed updating.
"The public buildings are brick and built to last, but the building methods and materials of the time used for the shops tended to be cheaper and they are really starting to show their age," he said.
A 2011 masterplan, Tallangatta Tomorrow, brought ideas together and identified priorities like a multipurpose sports complex, opened last year, and a new library and kindergarten that will be part of a community centre now under construction.
Destination Tallangatta represents the next stage in the council’s plan to make sure the town is prepared for its next 60 years.